This week, the Denver City Council rejected a measure to exempt pit bulls classified as service animals from Denver’s ban on the breed. Members voiced concerns that the breed is unsafe and that approving the exemption would make Denver’s 1989 ban difficult to enforce. The action could trigger a confrontation over the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

Polls taken by individual council members have shown continued support for the ban. Opponents have filed several suits to overturn it. Aurora also has been considering the service animal question.

“I came to (the Vick case) as an outsider,” said Gorant, who describes himself as neither an advocate nor an activist. “My question was,’What is the truth behind those dogs?’ ”

The first part of the book reads like a mystery novel, unraveling the sordid story of the horror that was Bad Newz Kennels and the questionable characters who ran it.

Dogs that survived were terribly scarred and often diseased. Those that failed to perform were killed by various means, including one small animal that was repeatedly slammed into the ground until dead.

Once the operation was closed down, and the remains of all the bodies had been removed from shallow graves and examined, a major effort was mounted to save the living dogs, one by one. Previously, confiscated fighters were treated as one entity and the prevailing wisdom was to save them all or destroy them all.

In the second part of the book, Gorant tracks the dogs throughout the process, first at various shelters where they were re-trained and evaluated, then to locations throughout the country where they were placed.

Out of 51 dogs, 47 were saved, thanks partly to Vick’s own penalty money.

Some are now family pets and some have become therapy dogs. To achieve these goals they were put through rigorous testing by animal professionals. Other dogs, for one reason or another, found permanent homes at various animal facilities.

To write the book, Gorant had his share of homework to do. He interviewed experts and read books about pit bulls. He dug through records and traveled the country.

Based on what he learned and his own observations, Gorant was asked questions on specific issues.

Do you think pit bulls are dangerous?

Gorant: “I don’t. They’re just dogs. They have certain attributes that make
them good fighting dogs. But they’re not inherently mean or evil dogs. Every dog, like every person, is an individual. If they’re properly trained and cared for they will be great dogs. Almost always problems are attributable to the owners.”

What about breed-specific legislation (the banning of a breed)?

Gorant :”It’s like using a Band-Aid to fix cancer. It’s not fixing problems
because you need to deal with people, People who want to get a ‘bad’ dog can get another breed.”

Do pit bulls instinctively attack other dogs?

Gorant: “I’ve seen times when pit bulls were in the open with other dogs.
Dogs running in yards and playing together, even with cats there, I’m sure there are some pit bulls that will have a stronger prey instinct than others. It depends on how they are raised and socialized. It’s a combination of nature or nuture.”

Does the media fairly report about pit bulls?

Gorant: “Probably not. A pit bull story is like a shark attack: it gets attention.”

What is the legacy of the Michael Vick case?

Gorant: “It has changed or added to the conversation about pit bulls. The Humane Society of the United States changed its policy, from putting fighting dogs down to evaluating every one. It’s had an impact on law enforcement. Dog fighting is now considered a good case to pursue. It is a portal crime, and you uncover other sorts of crime: guns, drugs, child and spousal abuse. The Vick case is a legal precedent. And it has changed perceptions. For the first time, the dogs were looked at as victims.”

Gorant acknowedged that pit bulls are probably not for everybody.”You have to be a responsible owner,” he said. “It’s a high-energy breed. They’re great dogs but you have to put something in it.”

Michael Vick, by the way, is now the star quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. He also has teamed with the Humane Society of the United States to make public appearances opposing dog fighting.

The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption; Gotham Books; 276 pages; $26.

A Good article and nicely written.The Denver Council like Michael Vick appear to be breaking Federal law and should be criminally charged like Michael Vick they should be made to pay legal fees and fines in their personal capacity and not be able to access Taxpayer’s funds.
In my opinion the Denver councillors are far worse than Vick as ,Michael Vick had a culture problem and he is now making amends for his ill deeds,further he spent 19 months behind bars,lost most of his money so in fact he paid his debt to society.Whereas the Denver Council are carrying on Abusing pitbulls and all for,pure and simple Politicking.They have with the help of the media created a Hate and Fear campaign against these poor animals,exactly in the same manner that Hitler and his Nazi Stormtroopers did in the late 30’s.The Target is the “Stupid Mass Vote”
Many of whom have never seen a Pitbull.
May Justice be served.

Selwyn Marock

A Good article and nicely written.The Denver Council like Michael Vick appear to be breaking Federal law and should be criminally charged like Michael Vick they should be made to pay legal fees and fines in their personal capacity and not be able to access Taxpayer’s funds.
In my opinion the Denver councillors are far worse than Vick as ,Michael Vick had a culture problem and he is now making amends for his ill deeds,further he spent 19 months behind bars,lost most of his money so in fact he paid his debt to society.Whereas the Denver Council are carrying on Abusing pitbulls and all for,pure and simple Politicking.They have with the help of the media created a Hate and Fear campaign against these poor animals,exactly in the same manner that Hitler and his Nazi Stormtroopers did in the late 30’s.The Target is the “Stupid Mass Vote”
Many of whom have never seen a Pitbull.
May Justice be served.

Travel and OutWest editor Kyle Wagner grew up in Pittsburgh and lived in Lake County, Ill., and Naples, Fla., before moving to Denver in 1993, where she reviewed restaurants for Westword before moving to The Denver Post in 2002. She considers the best days to be those that involve her teenage daughters and doing something outside, preferably mountain biking or whitewater rafting.

Dean Krakel is a photo editor (primarily sports) at The Denver Post. A native of Wyoming, he has authored three books, "Season of the Elk," "Downriver" and "Krakel's West." An avid kayaker, rafter, mountain biker, trail runner, telemark skier and backpacker, Dean's outdoor adventures have taken him around the world.

Douglas Brown was raised about 30 miles west of Philadelphia in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he spent a lot of time running around in the woods and fields (where he hunted and explored), and in the ocean (where he surfed and stared at the horizon). Now he lives in Boulder and spends as much time hiking, running, skiing and boarding the High Country (and the Boulder foothills) as possible.

Ricardo Baca is the entertainment editor and pop music critic at The Denver Post, as well as the founder and executive editor of Reverb and the co-founder of The UMS. Happy days often involve at least one of these: whitewater rafting, snowshoeing, vintage Vespas, writing, camping, live music, road trips, snowboarding or four-wheeling.